Prince George's County Passes a Right to Vote Resolution

Prince George’s County, Maryland, is the latest locality to adopt a Right to Vote Resolution with unanimous support on Tuesday, November 19th. The resolution supports a constitutional amendment that would grant an individual right to vote to all Americans of voting age. Such a change would strengthen the claims of all citizens to exercise their suffrage rights and limit the ability of federal, state, or local governments to impinge upon the right to vote. [Support H.J. Resolution 44, a voting rights amendment to the U.S. Constitution.] To further protect individual voting rights, Prince George’s resolution proposes restoring the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by creating a new coverage formula to determine which states and local jurisdictions should have voting changes reviewed for potential discriminatory impact. Currently, voting rights violations must be resolved through litigation, a long, drawn-out and expensive process, conducted only after an individual’s voting rights are violated. The resolution demonstrated how those with voting rights can advocate for those who have none; it called for full representation and voting rights of District of Columbia residents. Finally, as a nod to the state assembly, the County Council affirmed its support for Maryland’s recent expansion of early voting and the adoption of same-day voter registration.